Lonely Planet Hawaii: The Big Island (Regional Travel Guide)
by Conner Gorry, Luci Yamamoto
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Book Reviews of Lonely Planet Hawaii: The Big Island (Regional Travel Guide)
Book Review: Insiders Guide to Hawaii
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Lonely Planet Guide to Hawaii is clear, concise and packed with insider tips. I have read several of their guides before, but the new full color update is a marked improvement (particularly for the maps) and the color coded sections make it easier to find the differing sections. While the maps are a bit small, they are still a nice general reference to accompany the text. If you have never read a Lonely Planet guide, you will be in for a treat. While many guides will talk about the destination covered, the Lonely Planet difference is that their books are written by authors who either live in the location or have traveled extensively in the areas they cover. The big island is divided into sections and color coded for easy reference. There are island itineraries for different visit lengths, lodging and eating reviews from budget to luxury, the authors will not mince words letting you know who does a good job and who isn't worth the effort. There are also tips for environmentally friendly businesses and a nice section inserted into the various desitnations called Island Voices, which are mini interviews with the people who live there. Highlights include descriptions of the best locations for hiking, surfing, diving, scuba, fishing, kayaking, kitesurfing, parasailing, snorkeling, swimming, whale watching, windsurfing, caving, cycling, biking, golf, helicopter rides, airplane tours, camping, tennis, yoga, spa visits and scenic drives for each desitination along with business information, phone numbers, hours of operations and websites. This book also includes the best information I have seen on the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, both covering the story of the lava floes, what has been destroyed, what to watch out for and detailed descriptions of hiking adventures and other viewing options including the Sulphur bank, steam vents, Thurston Lava Tube and Chain of Craters Road. Other interesting sections include Big Island Myths and Legends, with insight into local customs and the views of the residents, History, and Food and Planning. The Planning section is a must read with tips on rental cars, what gas costs, legal matters, Internet access, crime, scams, drugs, theft and violence. It may be paradise, but you still need to be careful. The authors really give great descriptions, suggestions and insight for your visit. I realy appreciated the sections on crime and violence. Not many books will mention things to watch out for. Lonely Planet tells it like it is and this book should be a must read for your next Hawaii visit.Book Review: Paradise found!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I can't believe that I've lived on the West Coast for nearly 14 years and I still haven't been to Hawaii! I've always wanted to go, but planning a trip is a little more complex and intimidating than most destinations. After all, there are seven different islands. Can I choose just one, or should I visit many? What does each have to offer? How much time should I plan on spending in the Islands?
To get a start on answering my questions, I ordered the Lonely Planet Guides to both the big island of Hawaii and to Maui. I wanted to read up on both of these major Hawaiian destinations to see what they have to offer individually and what sounded most appealing to me. Well, that was answered quickly enough--it all sounds fabulous! Seriously, after reading up on both islands, I'm convinced that any trip to Hawaii for any amount of time would be an amazing vacation. The Lonely Planet Guides were an excellent resource for basic research and initial trip planning.
The first thing you'll notice are the STUNNING photographs on nearly every page. These books are beautifully produced, and it really does make you want to rush straight to the airport. In addition to all the photos, there are generous and clear maps within the pages. The guide is organized by sections or neighborhoods on the islands, such as Kona Coast, Hilo, and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. This makes it easier to explore specific areas. Those sections discuss activities that can be found in the specific areas: festivals, restaurants, shopping, accommodations, etc. The book is so jam-packed with information (including all sorts of diverse sidebars and special sections) that it's almost overwhelming and too much to take in. That's not a complaint.
Two things I'm always interested in are restaurant and hotel reviews. I thought the restaurants were very well handled, as well as lots of other information on the local cuisine. However, the information on accommodations wasn't as thorough as I'd like. I would probably look to another source to augment my planning. Another area of interest for me is snorkling and diving. I was pleased with the overview within the book. There are helpful "best of" lists, and the symbols used within the book are clear and easy to figure out. Overall, the Lonely Planet Guide is an excellent travel guide for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii. I think I know what my New Year's resolution is going to be!
Book Review: Colorful and Helpful Big Island Guidebook
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Like its companion Maui Guidebook, this book appears to be a major upgrade of prior Lonely Planet publications I have read. The book is very nicely illustrated with lots of photos and in-context maps of various parts of the Big Island.
The book covers the usual subjects (Where to Eat and Sleep, entertainment and activities) very well. Recommendations are divided into various regions of the island, such as Kailua Kona, South Kona Coast, Waimea etc.
I especially enjoyed the up to date information about Hawaii's Volcano National Park. The book provides nice pictures of the Kilauea Iki crater floor and the Kilauea Iki Overlook which give you a good sense of what you'll see and experience when you go. The map of Crater Rim Drive is helpful. I like the fact the book is up to date enough to tell you where you'll find the latest lava flows. If you're lucky you can almost drive to the lava flow...Be Careful!
I found the pick of Kealakekua Bay as "Best Snorkeling" to be right on. The recommendation to wear a life jacket while snorkeling to maintain buoyancy and prevent touching the coral is excellent. Most people just swim in the water, float and then step on and destroy the coral. Be a thoughtful traveler and preserve the scenic underwater marvels of the island...it's safer for you too.
The book has a nice little section on the beautiful Waipi'O Valley, with sound advice about hiking and keeping safe. This is a little visited marvel of the Big Island. Don't miss it...unless I'm visiting that day. :-)
The restaurant and sleeping accomodation recommendations are plentiful and run the full spectrum of prices.
This book along with the Hawaii The Big Island Revealed The Ultimate Guidebook appear to be the pick of the various guidebooks on the Big Island. The organization of Lonely Planet is a little better. The Hawaii Revealed has more in depth information. As such I give Hawaii Revealed a higher recommendation. If you want to compare, take a look at the much more in-depth information in Hawaii Revealed about different boats to Captain Cook's Monument (Kealakekua Bay). If you're going to spend $100 to $200 for a trip, it's nice to know which of the many available boats will give you the best snorkeling experience. Lonely Planet falls short on this. Hawaii Revealed shines.
Book Review: The Big Island of Hawaii Tour Guide
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
When I received the, I thought one of most remarkable things about this book (compared to other tour books) was its compact/condensed size (5"x8"x3/4") which will easily fit in most purses but is a little large for some hip pockets. It is printed on glossy paper which could be hard to write notes on with certain pens/pencils/hi-liters and has a retail price of $19.99 which seems a little pricey for what you get. The book appears to have been printed for people with young/good eyes since many of the maps are very difficult to read without a magnifying glass due to the color combination of the small print and backgrounds. brown print on a light brown background / blue on light blue / green on light green / etc.
The listings for various things in the different towns/areas leaves a lot to be desired as it lists only a portion of what's available. For example, I have stayed in a very nice hotel in the Kona area that is not listed. I think they were probably trying to keep the size of the book down but they could have listed many more than the 3 hotels in Kona by putting a chart in the book (like so many tour books do) instead of the write ups. The list of B&Bs/condos is pretty good. One of the main activities in the Kona area is deep sea fishing and they list only 4 contact phone numbers. Only 3 watering holes (bars) are listed, why? I found many more inexpensive good watering holes when I was there. In the Waimea (Kamuela) area Parker Ranch does not receive the attention it deserves. Also, Koa (expensive, popular wood only grown on Hawaii) receives very little mention --- Koa is very popular with both tourist and locals, high quality boxes and furniture are made from it.
On a positive note, the book does have a lot of high quality color pictures if this is what you are looking for but I would prefer less pictures and more information.
Bottom Line: I would not buy this book. This appears to be a cross between a picture souvenir book and a tour guide. I would opt instead for one that is printed on paper that is easier to mark up and had maps that were easier for old eyes to read. Also, I would like a tour book that listed more hotels in various price ranges, more activities, more options for the most popular activities (ie: deep sea fishing) in the various areas, etc.
Book Review: A good guide for general planning and once you're on the road
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This past year my company had a meeting on Hawai'i and my wife and I got to spend a little time enjoying the island. However, we did it without a travel guide. I picked up the Lonely Planet travel guide afterward (part of Amazon's Vine program) to see what we'd missed and because I could evaluate how accurate their descriptions were (based on the items we'd seen and done).
I'm going to open by saying this is a nice travel guide book. There are color pictures, descriptions of the different things tourist would be interested in, maps, and themed itineraries. The color pictures are nice (especially for Hawai'i) for giving an idea of the environment. Readers can easily see that areas of Hawai'i are very steep with lush colors. However they did fail to show the rather drab coloration of the Kona coast. Description-wise I found to be very accurate for where we visited. I wish that several places had a little more recognition in here (Huli Sue's in Waimea, the food was excellent, also the Kona Brewery, good pizza and beer). The maps are rather basic, but then Hawai'i doesn't have the road networks other places might have. As for the themed itineraries, they seemed nice if you were doing one of the themed items, but I wouldn't limit myself to what they identified. Arguably the best part of the book was the gray pages in the back. These pages give good insight for tourist on what to expect in general, what to do, and how the locals are; very important when you're the guest (in my opinion).
Rating-wise this is a solid 4 star travel guide. Lots of interesting descriptions sometimes with a little opinion of their reviewer (several were humorous) making it a little more personal than other travel guides might be. While I enjoyed that, I really wish they'd included webpages for the different items. Knowing where to get a restaurant's menu or a hotel's page on line can make a big difference on if I want to go there. Also, things change between publication of travel guides and when we go and visit them. Include the webpage so people can look things up ahead of time and use the travel guide while they're traveling.